Just in case you missed it, Epic Games have officially announced that Gears of War 3 will arrive on Xbox 360 in April 2011.

The first trailer for the game, Ashes to Ashes, made its debut on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon on Monday, US time, and gamers around the world are already picking it to pieces, analysing every possible aspect and potential spoiler that it may contain.

For your viewing pleasure, this is the video in question:

Now, Cliff Bleszinski brought Xbox’s Major Nelson along with him to the show, and the Major offered the following observances while watching backstage.

Notice the double barrel shotgun, female soldiers and more. Gears of War 3 coming April 2011.

…and those things have been a major focus of commentary around the net (the game’s announcement is considered one of the top three news stories of the day by Google) – but it seems Mr Hryb overlooked something that every other gamer picked up on: Dom has a beard (…and it’s not grey, it’s just covered in ash).

Some more details that you may have noticed in the trailer itself have been listed on the official Gears Forums, where they have been confirmed as accurate by developers:

– The “old man” in the beginning is Dominic Santiago.
– The woman is Anya. The story behind her being a solider is that, in the GoW3 time period, any and all able bodied humans are fighting for their race’s survival. More can be explained by reading the GoW Novels, especially Anvil Gate.
– Gears of War 3 will take place 18 months after the events of Gears of War 2.
– Cole looks significantly older due to his bandana; It is unconfirmed how much older, if at all, he will look without it.
– 4 player co-op has been confirmed. The campaign will feature 4 unique players at all times. Marcus, Dom, Cole, and Baird have all been confirmed as playable characters, and there will be more along the way.
– The shotgun Marcus is holding is an, at this moment, un-named double barrel shotgun. According to an Epic developer, this new shotgun will NOT replace the classic “Gnasher” shotgun, and both will make appearances within Gears of War 3.
– The “Pendulum Lancer” makes an appearance in GoW3. It is the gun Anya hands to Dom.
– The tentacle based monsters are a neutral foe within the game; They attack both Humans and Locust.
– Anya, and possibly more female characters, will be playable in the multiplayer aspect of the game.

Other details (beyond the obvious) are still being kept under wraps. Given the game’s history at this point, I don’t think we’ll be waiting long for another reveal – intentional or not.

…oh, and in case you were curious, the song in the trailer is called “Heron Blue”, by the band Sun Kil Moon. I think their fanbase just grew exponentially, from somewhere they may never have anticipated.